So I've been shooting for a while and due to the recent cost of ammo constantly rising I'm looking into doing my own reloads for the range. What are some things I should know before buying the stuff I'd need to do so. I shoot 9mm mostly and occasionally .38 by the way.

Many of us don't save any money by reloading. We end up spending the same amount of money but shoot twice as much.

Almost everyone prefers a digital scale. In my budget kit I assumed the beam scale would be ok. I ended up never using the piece of crap and immediately went out for a digital.

Single stage presses take a really long time. It was taking me over an hour to load 50 9mm for example. If you shoot 50 - 100 rounds a week that may be fine but if you shoot more than that go for a progressive.

I haven't done the math personally, but I recall someone on here detailing it out once that reloading for 9mm wasn't really all that much of money saver over buying bulk factory ammo, especially steel case ammo. For the price that I can get 9mm ammo I am not really even looking into loading my own anytime soon, unless I somehow find the money for a progressive press and can really crank them out.

I would really recommend pricing out some components first and figure how how many rounds you will have to make to pay off the all the money a reloading setup would cost. Also factor in your time spent, its not going to be a fast process unless you get a progressive and you have to ask yourself how much you value your own time.

If you plan I starting to shoot rifles than by all means go for it, thats the reason I got into it, and that is where I can bring a box of ammo from $40 to under $10. With those kind of savings its worth it in a hurry.

Reloading 9 and 38 won't really save you a whole bunch. Unless you have specific velocity/energy needs (power factor requirements, for example), factory bulk will do just fine. If you got a progressive press, it would take thousands and thousands of rounds for you to pay it back.

If you have any rifle cartridges you'll pay it back a little sooner, unless you just want milsurp-quality stuff. If you have an obscure or otherwise expensive caliber (dangerous game cartridges, wildcats, precision rifle, etc) you'll save lots of money.

That being said, if you still want to do it, take an NRA reloading class or ask a friend to show you how they do it. It's a fun hobby, but it's not the only way to get cheap pistol ammo.

Some say the progressive is the way to go.... But I enjoy reloading on a single stage very much, and I can inspect charges, and inspect other aspects easier than if I was reloading on a progressive press.

I agree the progressives do seem to get a lot of attention. I don't mind taking my time since I truly enjoy reloading and don't need to crank out as many rounds as quickly as possible.

Sounds like we have a similar method. I tumble, resize/deprime, wipe down case, clean primer pocket, and expand mouth in one day (when possible), and finish another day. That way I have all this clean brass that is ready for primer, charge, and bullet whenever I feel like loading it up.